However hot it is outside, this roast pork is worth the oven time. The shoulder has so much flavour and is ideal for slower cooking. Start this recipe a day ahead to marinate the pork.
Roasted pork with the best crackling and roasted nectarines
However hot it is outside, this roast pork is worth the oven time.
- 20 mins preparation
- 4 hrs 30 mins cooking (plus marinating, resting)
- Serves 6
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- Finely grated zest of ½ orange
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 1 boneless pork shoulder (about 3kg), skin on
Roasted nectarines
- 6 nectarines, halved, pitted
- 3-4 tbsp rapadura sugar, for sprinkling
- 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or to taste)
Method
- 1Dry-roast spices in a frying pan (10-20 seconds). Finely grind with a mortar and pestle, transfer to a bowl and combine with zest, oil and 2 tsp salt flakes. Rub marinade into pork flesh (not the skin) and refrigerate, uncovered, skin-side up to marinate and dry out the skin (overnight). Score skin at 1cm intervals with a very sharp knife (a new Stanley knife blade works well), sprinkle skin liberally with fine salt and tie with kitchen string to secure.
- 2Preheat oven to 170°C. Place pork, skin-side up in a roasting pan and roast until skin is crisp and deep golden brown, and the juices just start to run clear when pork is pierced with a sharp knife or skewer (3½-4 hours). Increase oven to 250°C until skin crackles (20-30 minutes). Rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- 3Meanwhile, for roasted nectarines, place nectarines on a separate baking tray, scatter with sugar and roast until caramelised (15-20 minutes). Splash with vinegar to taste.
- 4Transfer pork to a platter and remove string. Sprinkle with salt flakes and serve with roasted nectarines and their pan juices.
